Tales of Cookie the Magic Dragon
by Marie Nomad
Summary: Late at night, a little girl discovered a strange purple dragon with glowing pink eyes. What happens when she decided to take him as her pet?
1. Chapter 1

Bloom, Jackie, and Mark belong to me. Everyone else belongs to Steven Universe. This takes place in Steven Universe Future. Inspired by the corruption theory. Not sure if there's a timeline where this takes place in canon but I want to think so.

The Tales of Cookie the Magic Dragon

Part One

By Marie Nomad

Bloom walked through the orchard. Apple picking season was in full swing. She carried the bottles of water to her older siblings. The Apple Orchard had been owned by the family for generations, since pioneers had settled here from far off France.

"Jackie! Mark!" The blond hair, green eyed girl screamed as she ran to her favorite brother and sister. They had worked this farm for years and were over ten years older than her but she didn't care.

They were looking a small tree that looked normal except for the fact that it had no apples. Under it was a bunch of picked mushrooms. "This is weird." Jackie commented.

"Yup."

"What happened?"

"Oh, nothing much, just that this tree was already picked and whoever did it left a bunch of mushrooms." Jackie explained as she adjusted her cowboy hat on top of her long blond hair.

"Cool."

"Not cool. Someone is trespassing our place and stealing." Mark commented as he crossed his arms. He had red hair and green eyes with an impressive build from years of physical labor. "These mushrooms look okay but I don't trust them."

"The thief can't be bad if he was trying to trade." Bloom argued.

"If he was hungry, he should just show up and ask. Doesn't matter. If this happens again, we'll patrol the orchard."

"Should start tonight." Jackie stated.

"It's going to rain." Mark looked up. Clouds were gathering overhead. Wind started to blow.

"Aw heck. Just a little rain."

"I'm hungry." Bloom interrupted. She could tell when her siblings started to butt heads. Mark is the oldest and the most practical. Jackie was more outgoing and willing to take risks.

"Getting late." Jackie sighed. "Let's get inside."

Bloom and her family walked inside. Mark looked at the peonies that their grandmother planted. They were not looking well, starting to wilt. "Poor things."

"Not looking well?"

"I can take care of an entire orchard but not a bush of flowers." He sighed.

XXX

The family sat in front of the TV eating dinner as always. Bloom saw that she had a cookie cat snack and put it in her pocket. She wanted to eat it tomorrow.

"And on a more upbeat note: Beach City is holding a fundraising concert to raise funds to repair the Little Homeworld's latest attack. Sadie and Shep are here. So, Sadie, any thoughts about the monster that did this?"

Sadie gritted her teeth. "It's not a monster! It's a corrupted gem who lost his mind! It's not his fault!" The blond woman started to cry. "We failed him. We all failed him."

Shep took her by the shoulders and led her away. "We're done here."

"Okay, well, looks like this concert is going to be huge! Back to you, Roy."

Mark turned off the TV. "Hope nothing like that will happen here."

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Some things we can't do. We did what we could." Mark advised.

"Besides, they are aliens with powerful friends."

"I understand."

XXX

Rain started to fall as Bloom grabbed her rain jacket. She couldn't help but think of that mysterious tree theft. It was normal for apples to get stolen by wildlife and a hungry hiker. But she never heard of anyone leaving anything behind. They live in the middle of nowhere. The theft was probably hungry. She packed a small bundle of snacks that she had hid away in her room. Mark and Jackie would get angry if they find out.

She carefully climb out of her window and off into the orchard. She wandered for a while as the mud started to form under her feet. Then, she saw a shimmering pink light. She turned towards the light, intrigued. As she walked closer, it was a pink light bubble several feet tall and wide. In the middle of the bubble, curled up, was a giant lizard with six legs with several horns and the long tail. It was a dragon.

Blooms jaw dropped and she wished that she brought her cell phone or a camera. She carefully walked forward, not noticing the rain. The dragon had his eyes closed. She put her hand on the bubble. It was warm and solid. She gathered up her courage and tapped on the bubble. "Hello?"

The dragon sat up and spikes shot out of his large neck. He opened his mouth and hissed and then stepped back. The bubble rocked back and forth. The dragon stopped when he saw her. The rain splattered against the bubble. The bubble burst and the dragon stepped forward.

"Wait! Don't be scared." Bloom held out her hand for the dragon to sniff her. "I won't hurt you." She opened her umbrella and held out her basket. "I brought food."

The dragon cautiously stepped forward with the spikes flattening. He put his massive head under the umbrella. Bloom gazed at his eyes. They were pink glowing eyes in the middle of black where there should be white. Despite the fact that he was larger than her, she didn't feel scared. He just look more like a timid dog afraid for his life.

"Want to get out of the rain? I'm sorry I made you burst your bubble." The dragon looked over at the rain and then a giant disk appeared over them. Bloom's eyes widened at the intricate design, especially the rose symbol in the middle. The shield rotated over his head.

"Wow. Okay, follow me." Bloom took the dragon to the club house she and her friends like to hang out. "You can stay here." She opened the door and let the dragon in. The shield vanished. The dragon looked around and then sat down.

"Here." She unwrapped the food and put it on the floor. The dragon just dove in and chomped on it. "You're really hungry, aren't you?"

The dragon nodded. Pausing briefly at some sausage and just ate. Bloom finally reached into her pocket to unwrap the cookie and hand it to him. He stared at the cookie and licked it out of her hand.

Rain continued as Bloom sat across from the creature. "Where are you from? Are you an alien?" She asked. "Why aren't you at home with your family?"

To her surprise, tears flowed from the dragon's eyes. She never saw any animal cry like that before. It dawned on her. He was alone. She reached out and stroked his head. The dragon jerked a little but remained still. "I can be your friend. I always wanted a dragon for a pet."

The dragon turned his head toward her. "Rrrh?"

"Yeah! I can feed you, play with you, and keep you safe. Please?" She pleaded with her cutest eyes.

The dragon tilted his head as if contemplating and lowered his entire body down at her as if in submission. "Yay!" Bloom screamed. She did it. She managed to get a dragon as a pet. "Now, you need a name." She pondered. "You look like a rose and that shield has a rose. What about 'Rose'."

The dragon's spikes went out and he started hissing and shaking his head. Bloom stepped back. Maybe this dragon's past owner's name was Rose and she hurt him?

"Okay. Okay. Not Rose. What about..." She looked at the cookie cat wrapper. "What about Cookie?"

The dragon let out a sigh and then nodded. "Great! I can't wait to show you to Mark and Jackie! They'll be so tickled!"

Cookie whimpered.

"You don't want them to know? Yeah, after what happened with Fluffy the Raccoon, they didn't want me adopting wild animals. I'll keep you a secret until I can prove how safe and tame you are. We'll have so much fun, Cookie!" She jumped up and hugged her dragon. The rain stopped. Cookie gestured to his back.

"You want me to ride you? Where? Oh! My house! Jackie and Mark will get worried." Bloom opened the door and hopped on his back. "Let's go home, Cookie!"

To Be Continued...


	2. Chapter 2

The Tales of Cookie the Magic Dragon

Part Two

By Marie Nomad

Bloom yawned as she opened her eyes. The sun hasn't risen yet. She looked over to see her new pet dragon lying on the floor. He was still sleeping. She couldn't help but wonder where he came from? Was he a gem? No. Gems can talk. Maybe he was a creation of gems. She was confused.

Cookie started to twitch and whimper. Bloom grabbed a blanket and her princess teddy bear and tucked Cookie in. The dragon sighed as the teddy bear hugged his neck. All she knew was that he was alone and scared.

"Bloom! Rise and shine!" Jackie bellowed.

Cookie promptly woke up and then stared at the teddy bear. He looked up at her. "You were having a nightmare. But quick, hide!" Bloom opened her closet door. Cookie grabbed the bear with his tail and ran into the closet. "I'll get you something to eat." She whispered. "Just wait here." She turned towards the door. "Coming!"

XXX

Bloom shoveled her food as quick as possible. She wanted to get whatever leftovers are available for Cookie. Cookie didn't seem to like meat and is probably a herbivore.

"Whoa. Easy does it." Mark said as he paused in eating his pancakes. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I… I have plans today."

"I get it, it's summer, and you want to play after the chores are done. But you have plenty of time." Jackie comforted.

"What are you doing today?" Bloom asked as she tried to think of what to do with Cookie.

"Well, southern block is ready for picking." Mark said as he took a sheet of paper and draw out the diagram. "Jackie and I will harvest. Bloom, you take care of the house. You can go out after you do your chores."

Bloom's eyes brightened. Mark and Jackie always stay out late harvesting during harvest season and the southern block is far away. She could start training Cookie and keep him a secret from her family. "Okay."

Jackie's green eyes darted to Bloom. "You always want to join us with the harvest. Why the change in heart?"

The eight-year-old winced. Jackie could sniff a lie a mile away. "I… wasn't in the mood today."

"Uh huh." Jackie shoveled some of the pancakes in her mouth. "Well, we also need to keep an eye out for that thief. You be careful."

"I'll be careful."

XXX

"Cookie! Cookie! Cookie the magic dragon. I found him in a bubble and now he lives with me." Bloom sang as she made her bed. Cookie was gathering all the dirty laundry in a basket. She saw what he was doing. "Wow, you're really smart. Training you should be easy."

The dragon just looked at her and tilted his head.

"Well, you seem to understand what I'm saying." Bloom stroked his face. "That's a lot better than my past pets." She picked up the laundry basket and carried it to the laundry room. "You really help me with the chores. If it was just me, I would be doing it all day."

Cookie followed her.

"I guess you need to know about my family. I need to really wow, Mark and Jackie. Mark's my older brother. We just celebrated his 21st birthday. He owns this farm after Mom and Dad died. He works really hard to make sure the apples get harvested and the bills get paid. Jackie's 19. She's super tough and is so awesome. She loves to do rodeos for cash prizes." Bloom paused. "I can't do much yet. I'm still a kid. I don't know what I'll do when I grow up. I just want to help out here." Bloom put the laundry basket down. Cookie just put his head on her shoulder and raised his front legs around her in a warm hug.

"Thanks but I'm okay." Cookie hugged back.

XXX

"You don't understand. I don't have a childhood. All my life, I lived under my mother's shadow. I can't even insult her without drawing the wrath of the court. They see me as her reborn. I… I can't stand it. I… I'm broken." The prince said on the TV as Bloom and Cookie watched the film.

"This is so sad." Bloom sniffed.

Cookie put his front paw on the TV as tears ran down his face. "Rrrr..." He moaned.

"Are you okay? It's not real." Bloom turned off the TV. The dragon kept on crying and wiped his eyes.

"Here." Bloom grabbed a towel and wiped his face. "Want to go outside?"

He nodded.

XXX

Bloom took some of the wild weeds and started to form a crown of lovely daisies. Cookie was lying next to her just watching. He seemed better. "I wish you can talk. You must see some really cool things."

He shivered as he lowered his head.

"But, I bet you don't want to talk about it even if you could." She put a crown of flowers on his head. "I just go to school, take field trips, and help out here. It's really boring."

Cookie shook his head.

"You don't think so? Yeah, I guess you never been to school. I can't wait for Billie and Susan to come back from their trips. I want you to meet them. They would never believe me."

The dragon nodded.

"But, I kinda like this. No one else in the whole wide world knows about us. It's like I have a secret identity." She finished her own crown of flowers and put it on. "We could be superheroes. I will be Princess Bloom and her noble dragon steed, Cookie."

The dragon snorted and then let out a series of noises that sounded like laughter.

"I'm serious!" Bloom pouted.

Unseen by the two of them, a small camera drone caught the two of them.

XXX

Jackie and Mark stared dumbfounded at the sight of their little sister lying on the ground with a mini version of the monster that attacked Little Homeworld.

"What the hay!" Jackie screamed. She thought maybe they could use a drone to look for any signs of the thief and she did not expect to see Bloom hanging around with a gem monster.

"I know." Mark's teeth gritted.

"That's the baby version of the monster that attacked Little Homeworld! What's Bloom doing?"

"I don't know!"

"We have to call the police. Or animal control. Or… whoever's in charge of taking care of alien monsters." Jackie put the drone in standby as she got out her lasso and cattle prod.

"I'm looking it up right now. We can't go barging in and spook the monster. Keep an eye on Bloom." Mark got out his smart phone. He looked up the phone number for any specialists.

XXX

It had been tense at the beach house. No one had seen Steven despite everyone searching. Pearl sat anxiously as she helped organize the rebuild of Little Homeworld. The phone rang. Pearl didn't recognize the phone number. "Hello? This is Pearl."

To be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Tales of Cookie the Magic Dragon

Part Three

Cookie's Decision

By Marie Nomad

Bloom was riding Cookie back to the farmhouse. "I really had fun today. We need to get you something to eat before-" Cookie stopped and Bloom gasped. On the back porch was Mark, Jackie, and three strange-looking women. "Uh oh." She muttered as she clutched on to Cookie's horns.

"Steven!" The pale white woman screamed as she ran up to Cookie and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We were so worried about you."

"Let go of Cookie!" Bloom yelled at the weird woman.

"Cookie?"

"Come on, Bloom. We have to talk." Mark said as he went up and picked up Bloom and took her away.

"NO! You can't take him away! He's mine!" Bloom cried as she struggled in her older brother's arms. All of a sudden, she saw Cookie reaching up and gently wiping her tears with his tail.

"He's my son!" An old man with a much younger woman in front of him while riding a lion yelled.

"Huh?"

"It's more complicated than that. I… I think we better get inside and talk." Garnet announced.

* * *

The group sat around. Bloom sat next to Cookie who just seemed more alert. The group had introduced themselves. Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Connie, and Greg, Cookie's father. There was also Lion the pink lion. She was confused and she wasn't the only one.

"So, can you tell us what the hey is going on?" Jackie asked. "You said that Steven or Cookie won't hurt Bloom but what is he?"

"Yes, I suppose that it is confusing." Pearl paused and then there was a hologram showing a young boy with a star shirt and a gem for a bellybutton. "His name is Steven Universe. He is half gem and half-human. He helps protect the world from monsters with the Crystal Gems." The boy was seen wielding a pink shield against giant monsters.

Jackie and Mark's jaws dropped in horror. A young boy, looking just barely older than their little sister was fighting creatures larger and stronger than him. Bloom's eyes widened. "You're a superhero." She whispered to Steven. Steven shook his head. Jackie realized. He didn't see himself as a hero.

"Yes. He captured many corrupted gems and even face against the most powerful gems known to restore the corrupted gems to normal." Pearl showed a very tiny Steven staring up against a giant white diamond. Steven just looked away.

"He helped bring in a new era of peace." She showed a more grown up version of Steven looking heroic surrounded by gems of various colors, shapes, and sizes.

"But there were still problems." Pearl showed various sinister-looking figures. "And… it turns out that Steven was affected by all of his adventures. He started isolating himself and eventually got corrupted." The image of Steven clutching his head and transforming into a giant monster.

Pearl closed her eyes as she started to shake. "Everyone gathered together and got Steven to heal himself of corruption." Images of the gems holding hands with different humans and the dragon shrank.

"But something went wrong. He was cured of the corruption. He has his mind back and he has all his powers but..." Pearl looked at Steven with tears in her eyes. "He hasn't reverted back to normal."

"I don't get it," Bloom said as she was stroking Steven's head. The tip of his tail tapped up and down.

"You see, the uncorrupted gems were restored back to normal with a few scars. But Steven is half organic and organics apparently scar easier than gems. It's like his body sees his new form as a default form." Garnet explained.

"Uh huh." Mark muttered as he was starting to shake. His muscles tensed up slightly. "How old is Steven?" His voice was low, almost growling.

"Seventeen."

"I see… and how old was he when he was fighting all these monsters?"

"Thirteen."

"WHAT THE EVER LOVING FORK?!" Jackie screamed as she stood up and glared at the gems. The gems jumped back a little. "You were forcing a little kid to fight monsters?!"

"He was coming into his powers… we believed he was ready. We were confident that we could protect him." Garnet said, her voice was wavering a little.

There was a moment of silence as everyone resisted the urge to look at Steven.

"Great job!" Jackie yelled. "You created a hero and destroyed a little kid's psyche in the progress!"

"We… we made a…" Pearl's eyes started to water. "I'm sorry, Steven." She ran out.

"Hey! The gems did the best they could!" Greg argued.

"Right, they are aliens but what's your excuse?" Jackie glared at him. "Why didn't you help him?"

"I…" Greg just deflated as he just looked at Steven who was staring at him with strangely human eyes. "I would sacrifice my hands and what's left of my hair to bring you back." He muttered.

"Nice sentiment but you know what. Leave! All of you!" Jackie scowled. Steven stood up and got ready to leave. Jackie held up her hand. "Not you, Steve. You can stay here. Right, Mark? Bloom?"

"He can stay. The rest can go." Mark stated. He glanced at Connie. "You can stay too. You're a kid."

"I'm sixteen and getting ready to go to college. Also, why are you kicking us out?" Connie dared.

"Because I have issues with aliens using kids as soldiers!"

Steven marched up to Jackie and growled at her. He let out a series of growls and snarls and then he stopped. He put his hand over his throat.

"Steven," Connie whispered. She could see that Steven just wanted to protect his family like he always did. Either that or that he was trying to play the peacekeeper. The one that goes around making sure that everyone gets along. He couldn't do that if he couldn't speak.

"I get it, they are family. You don't have to stay here. But, let me ask you if you love your family so much, why did you run away in the first place?" Jackie asked.

Steven just looked down.

_Guilt permeated every part of his grotesque body. Steven had locked himself in his room, with a shield covering the door for extra security. He is still a monster. He couldn't speak. He couldn't stand on two legs. He didn't even have hands. His gem is no longer corrupted. Why? Why wasn't he human again?_

"_Steven! Open the door please. At least lower the shield." Pearl pleaded from the other side._

_He didn't want to see her. All the damage he had done to both Beach City and Little Homeworld. He deserved to be sealed away in a garden far away for his sins. Every spot he saw, all he felt guilt and pain for all the trouble he put his friends and family for. _

_All the monsters are gone, except for him. _

_He couldn't stay here. He opened the window and peeked outside. No one was there. They were too busy fixing his mess or making sure he didn't cause another one. Focusing extra hard, he put as much energy in the shield as possible. It should last a little longer without him around. With some of whatever luck he had, they won't notice he was gone. _

_He floated down to the ground being careful and ran away from the Beach House._

Even now, he felt pain looking at his family, all the damage that he made when he became a monster and the time before that.

_Steven was in his bubble, protecting himself from the cold and the rain. The few unripe apples he ate barely made a dent in his hunger. There was no doubt that the bubble's light will shine and any gem flying by will see it and catch him. He felt lonely as he watched the rain hitting against the bubble. It was peaceful. He started to sleep when he heard a distinct tapping sound. "Hello?" He woke up prepared to fight only to see a little girl in a rain coat. _

_He backed away, not sure what to do. The bubble burst, he was in front of her. "Wait! Don't be scared." The girl held out her hand for him to sniff her. "I won't hurt you." She opened her umbrella and held out her basket. "I brought food."_

_He put his head under the umbrella. The rest of the rain was still pelting his body but he still felt warm. Why was this girl so kind to a monster? Normal people run away from monsters. "Want to get out of the rain? I'm sorry I made you burst your bubble." The girl asked._

_She was sorry? Why was she doing this? She didn't need anything. He should just go, leave before he caused her more trouble. But, he felt better than he had in ages. He focused upward and summoned a large shield to protect the both of them. All she did was look up in awe and guided him away from the rain. _

He felt happier here than he did at the Beach House in a long time. He wasn't needed like before. But, he felt wanted. He still loved his family but if his shapeshifting powers were related to his emotions. Maybe the key to being human again was being around humans who had nothing to do with gems?

He looked at his father was just staring back at him. Then at Garnet, Amethyst, and Connie. Finally, he looked at Lion. _"If you can understand me, watch Connie __and Dad __for me. I'm sorry." _He growled at his friend.

Lion nodded and licked his face.

Steven whimpered at Connie and Greg. Then, he walked up to Bloom and knelt down. "You want to stay, Steven?"

Steven nodded and then pointed his front paw at the nearby cookie cat clock and then at himself. "You want me to call you 'Cookie'." Steven nodded and made some happy sounds.

Bloom hugged him. "I love you, Cookie."

"I… think he wants to stay." Greg wanted to cry.

"He can't stay here!" Connie argued. "He deserves to be with us! They don't know a thing about gems!"

"No, he deserves what he wants." Amethyst grabbed Connie by the elbow. "Hey, Steven, you're free to come back any time you want. Or not. Just… help yourself. Okay?"

"I'm sorry, Steven. You deserved a better father." Greg slumped away.

One by one, the group left.

Jackie closed the door as soon as they left. She watched as first, Garnet, Amethyst, and a still struggling Connie sat on the lion and disappeared. Greg and Pearl stared at her with wide crying eyes. There was a hologram with a message, "Help Steven." Jackie nodded. The lion returned and the last two hopped on and vanished.

To be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

The Tales of Cookie the Magic Dragon

Part 4

Cookie's Humanity

By Marie Nomad

The rooster crowed, and Steven opened his eyes. He was startled by all the apple-themed decorations and the teddy bear next to him, and then he remembered. The Smith Family had taken him in after Bloom was caught.

"Steve! Rise and shine!" Jackie opened the door. "Slept well?"

He didn't have nightmares for the second night in the row. He kicked the blanket off and bobbed his sleepy head once.

"Good. Let's get you ready."

XXX

It felt strange for Steven as Bloom examined his mouth. "I don't see any human teeth. Should I brush your mouth? I don't want you to get cavities."

Ever since he was corrupted, he hasn't really cleaned himself. He didn't really think about taking care of himself. He could remember a time when he would make sure that he gets a shower every day, except when Peridot locked herself in. Had he really fallen so far that he stopped caring about his appearance?

"Yeah, taking care of a dragon is harder than it sounds. But, as your friend, I have to help you."

Steven let out a surprised sound.

"Well, I can't call you my pet since you're really a human. Friend seems to be the best way to describe you. If that's okay."

One good thing about Bloom getting caught was that she was aware of how smart he was. He remembered when the gems treated him and his dad like animals, like beings that are lesser. Even his mom just treated his dad like some sort of pet that she adopted. He wanted to be Bloom's friend and nodded his permission.

"I'm glad."

Steven saw his reflection in the bathroom's mirror and winced. He couldn't recognize himself. His super-long neck, his scales, the tusks on the side of his head, and the massive horns on his head, even his alien eyes, he just couldn't see himself. His middle paw rubbed against his gem. At least his gem was still there, some part of him didn't change. He opened his mouth to see a jagged jaw but no human teeth.

"Are you okay?" Bloom asked as she put her hand on his neck.

He wasn't sure.

XXX

"So, plans for today?" Jackie asked as she put pancakes on the table. Steven saw a huge banquet waiting for him. A part of him felt guilty for taking their food. She glanced at Steven. "Okay, I want you to point out what you want to eat, and I'll put it on your plate. If you want more, point again."

"This is a lot of food." Bloom noticed.

"Well, Steve's about as big as a horse. Figured he might eat like one."

"Oh."

Steven noticed there was a lot of meat. He hasn't had the urge to eat meat for months. He had been vegetarian for health reasons. Does he need to eat meat in order to regain his humanity? He liked being a vegetarian, but he did fail when he ate that sausage Bloom gave him.

"Steve?"

He chose several fruits, pancakes, and some toast. There was a jar of apple jam on the table. How was his Jam Bud Connie doing? His best (former?) friend looked so sad and angry when he chose to stay. More than anything, he wished that he could explain to her why he had to stay. Maybe, she will move on with her life, to her normal human friends and her normal human life. She should forget about him.

"I was thinking of taking Cookie to Fiona, the snake woman." Bloom announced as Steven started eating.

The dragon nearly choked. Bloom's taking him to a snake woman? Was it a human that was part snake or someone who was just super obsessed with snakes. He quickly imagined a goth woman with scales tattooed all over her body and with various snakes all over her body. How could he trust someone like that? Then, he realized that he was a monster. He wasn't in a position to judge.

"Good idea. She knows all about snakes and reptiles. She could tell us how to take better care of Steve. Maybe, give us ideas on how to help him."

"Yup." Mark nodded as he ate.

Steven's heart pounded as he thought about seeing this snake woman. What was she like? What if she decided to put him in the zoo? He already was part of one zoo, he couldn't be an exhibit at another one.

"Are you okay?" Bloom asked as she poked him. "Are you scared about seeing Fiona?"

Steven nodded.

"It's okay. She's a friend of mine. She's a nice person." Jackie reassured him. "I noticed that you didn't eat any meat. You a vegetarian?"

He nodded.

"Ah, cute."

"I'll drop you two off at Fiona's. Call me when you're ready to be picked up. Jackie and I need to work on harvesting today." Mark stated. "Bloom, remember, no TV and video games for a week. We have to punish you for hiding Steven from us."

"I know."

Steven was surprised at the light sentence. He was expecting Mark and Jackie to ground Bloom for at least a thousand years.

XXX

He was expecting a dark house surrounded by dead trees. Steven looked out of the window to see a lovely house surrounded by gardens with butterflies all over the place.

"We're here." Bloom announced as she opened the door for Steven. "This is Fiona's place. Isn't it cool?"

He didn't know what to think. It looked like a normal large house. His heart pounded, and his spikes threatened to pop out. He closed his eyes and focused. Bloom and the siblings trusted her. If he wanted to be normal again, he had to get help.

"It's okay." Bloom rubbed his head. He felt himself relax. Carefully, he followed her to the front door.

Bloom rang the doorbell. And a pleasant-looking woman with short light brown hair opened the door. She was dressed in blue jeans, a long sleeve shirt. "Bloom! How are you?" She looked at Steven and her jaw dropped. "Oh, wow."

Steven lowered himself a little to appear as nonthreatening as possible. It didn't help that he was taller than Garnet and could carry Lion on his back. The last thing he wanted was to scare this stranger.

"Aren't you adorable!" Fiona gushed as she put on some gloves and studied his spikes. "Oh, wow, you are so big. Aren't you. Aren't you the most adorable looking reptile I had ever seen!" She gushed.

Bloom was rolling her eyes, and Steven let out a high pitch growl. This wasn't what he was expecting. This was worse than the time he was in the human zoo. "I never saw such an adorable creature like you." She patted him. "I did see a watermelon lizard on this watermelon island once. But you are so special."

"Ummm… Fiona..." Bloom interrupted. "His name is Steven Universe."

"Steven Universe… such a creative name! Universe. Wow."

"No! He's a superhero who's half gem and half-human, and he's stuck as a dragon."

Fiona stopped mid examination. "You're human?" She looked at his face. "You are. Your face looks somewhat human. At least, more human than the average reptile." Her face was beet red. "I… I'm sorry. He can understand me, right?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. I think we better get inside."

XXX

Fiona nodded as Bloom explained the situation. "That is… interesting." She said as she sipped some tea. "I don't know how I can help, though. I specialize in reptiles, not humans."

"I know, but… I thought that you could help us know how to take care of Cookie- I mean, Steven."

The woman tapped her cup. "I want to help, but we need to know how human he still is. Reptiles and humans are very different. We have to get a human doctor. I know!" She smiled as she clasped her hands together. "I know this old doctor. He's really nice."

XXX

"You're so lucky, I have no appointments." Dr. Forest grumbled as he greeted Fiona. He was old with gray hair and eyes that looked like they had seen everything. He looked at Steven and then at Fiona. "I'm a doctor, not a vet."

"He's human… ish." Fiona smiled. "You see, he's half gem and half-human and he had recovered from a corruption recently."

"Gems! Fork! I left Beach City to get away from crazy nonsense like this!" Dr. Forest yelled. He grabbed a can of soda and downed it. "Have you ever had a purple toilet yell at you? Never again."

"Please, doctor. He needs help. He's a hero." Bloom pleaded as she put on her cutest eyes. Steven stared at him and did a slow blink, like Lion had done to him several times before.

"Stop! Stop." Dr. Forest waved his hands. "Okay, I am a doctor, and why not. I need to do an examination. Have you been seen by a doctor before?"

Steven was seen by Connie's mom once. She should still have his data but she wasn't his general practitioner. He nodded slowly, somewhat uncertain.

"Okay." He looked at Bloom. "Do you know who his doctor is?"

"No."

Dr. Forest glared at Steven, who started to shrink back. Why are all doctors so intimidating? Steven had to wonder. "And how am I supposed to know who his doctor is? Read his mind?"

"Oh..."

"Wait a second." Dr. Forest went to his office and got out a pen and a laptop. "I hope you can read and write." He brought up a document program. "Here, type out your doctor's name."

XXX

Fiona and Dr. Forest stood in front of the video conference with _Dr_. _Priyanka _Maheswaran. "Thank you for contacting us." Dr. Forest stated, respectively.

"You're welcome. I'm glad that Steven's getting help. How are you, Steven?" Priyanka looked at Steven, who was waving his paw at her.

"Anyway, we need to do an examination on Mr. Universe here. We need to know what is Steven. How human is he?"

"I have his data from his examination. You two can examine him, and we can compare the results."

"Fiona, I'll need your help. He may be human but his body is reptilian. I need you to be able to get his temperatures, look for veins, that sort of thing."

"Okay."

"What can I do?" Bloom asked. She felt a little lost. These smart adults surround her, and she didn't have a clue about how to help.

Fiona knelt down and put her hands on Bloom's shoulders. "Just be there for Steven. We will do a bunch of scary tests, and you need to help him stay calm."

Steven nodded and put his head next to hers.

"You're scared? I'll protect you." Bloom reassured him as she rubbed his head.

XXX

Dr. Forest nodded as Fiona took Steven's temperature. She checked his pulse.

XXX

Steven stood still as the X-ray machine flashed.

XXX

Fiona's jaw dropped as she stared at the X-rays. Her eyes watered, and Dr. Forest tensed slightly.

XXX

"It will be over in a second." Fiona said as she held a needle to draw out blood. Steven closed his eyes, and a shield appeared over his skin.

"It's okay, Cookie." Bloom took his front right paw and rubbed it. "Drop the shield, please."

XXX

Mark showed up with pizza and sat down next to Bloom. "How's Steven?" He asked. "Fiona called us."

"He's okay. I think." Bloom said as she sat next to Steven. "They were doing all these tests with needles."

"I talked with Mr. Universe, he said that he's going to pay for the tests."

"He has to pay?"

"Don't worry about it." Mark held out a slice of pizza for Steven, who ate it.

"Hey, Steven." Dr. Forest and Fiona walked in with the tablet with Dr. Maheswaran on it. "First of all, can we speak in front of these two?" Dr. Forest asked Steven. "If you need someone else to listen to you, Dr. Maheswaran could contact your father."

Steven wrapped his tail around Mark and Bloom.

"Okay." Dr. Forest took a deep breath. "We will go with the fundamentals. You are not a real dragon. You are a human suffering from a case of being a dragon. You look like one, you have scales, spikes, that sort of thing. But your temperature is 98.8 degrees. Your blood tests come back with the same results as the ones taken when you see Dr. Maheswaran."

"So, he's human?"

"At a core level." Fiona brought up a picture. "This is the heart of a komodo dragon. It has three chambers instead of four separate ones. Most reptiles are like that. This is a picture of a human heart. Human hearts have four separate chambers."

Dr. Forest brought up an CT scan image. "This is Steven's heart. It has four separate chambers. Indicating that his heart is still human. The scans also show a normal digestive system. I'm guessing you have no issues with eating normal human foods?"

Steven nodded.

"So, your organs, your blood, your DNA, are human. You may have extra legs, scales, and yes, some sort of magical powers, but deep down, your heart is human."

Steven's jaw dropped. Tears started to drip down his face. He never really thought of it like that. All his life, he knew he was a gem hybrid and after corrupting, he thought he had lost his humanity. But, it was just buried. Like how the corrupted gems' true selves were buried.

"I guess you thought you were less human than that." Dr. Forest smirked slightly.

Steven wiped his eyes with his foot and nodded.

"So, we can treat him as human and not worry about any side effects?" Mark asked.

"You still need to be careful, but yes." Dr. Maheswaran answered. "Steven, you had endured a great deal of trauma in your childhood. What cured you of your initial corruption had treated you but as you can see, it is still present. We still need to address that trauma and your issues. Now, you are establishing a new support system in Treedale?"

Steven looked at Bloom and Mark. They and Jackie had been helping him, making him feel as human as possible despite the fact that he was offering nothing in return. He bobbed his head up and down excited.

"Good. I was worried when you ran away. The worst thing you can do is isolate yourself."

The dragon-shaped human winced. Steven wanted to be by himself, but the Smiths made him felt nice. Was it meeting new people expanded his outlook?

"So, he has to make new friends?" Bloom asked.

"Friends, seeing a therapist, and maybe even join a group."

"What about Steven's family? I don't like them. They let a kid go around fighting monsters and didn't bother to get him help." Mark crossed his arms.

Steven growled at Mark. If he could talk, he would do everything he could to ensure that his family and his new friends get along.

"I understand your hesitation. I knew the Gems and Greg for years. I trust them with my daughter. They care for Steven and all they wanted was for him to be happy. I will tell them the extent of Steven's trauma and the need for him to get help. They are still his legal guardians and Steven is still a minor. Steven still needs to have access to them."

Mark took a deep breath. The Gems have them outnumbered, and they are more durable and better fighters. He and Jackie could defend themselves in a scrap just fine, but they are human. Heck, they could have just simply called the police and they would have to give up Steven since he's still only seventeen. "Family is important, and I guess that if they didn't care about Steven's feelings, they could have just took him by force. I have to talk to Jackie about this. If she agrees, then we can let them visit."

Steven's tail wagged as he hugged Mark. Mark was surprised at how light Steven was despite his bulk. He should have been pinned to the floor.

"Hey! I'm glad that you're happy about this." Mark said as he smiled and started to rub the top of Steven's head.

"Good. We still need a way of Steven to communicate with us." Dr. Forest pointed out. "Especially if he wants to speak to a therapist."

"One of Steven's friends, Peridot, has been working on a communication device. She was asking me about how humans created such devices."

Steven let out a growl in surprise. He was surprised that anyone in Little Homeworld was even bothering to help him out. He was sure that after all he did, that they would decide to just ignore him.

"Sounds good. We can't give any prescriptions yet. But I want for Steven to come by at least once a week. We need to keep track of his physical issues. I also want Steven to start typing out the phrase 'I am a human being' at least ten times a day." Dr. Forrest advised.

"Why?" Bloom asked.

"The human mind is a powerful thing. There had been times when people feel better by sugar pills because they thought they were getting medicine. People can feel horrible if they are told that they have a disease. How a person thinks about themselves can really help or hinder their progress."

"So, if Cookie wishes hard enough, he could be human!" Bloom realized.

Mark, Fiona, Steven, and Dr. Forest just stare at her. Steven could remember a time when he thought ice cream gives him powers. He wished that he was that young and naive again.

"Something like that."

"We need to go." Mark said as he looked at his cell phone. "It's getting late, and Jackie might get worried."

"Right. Good luck, kid." Dr. Forest held out his hand in front of Steven. Steven stared at it and then put his paw in his hand.

XXX

Steven stared at his reflection. The creature was still staring back at him. He still looked like a monster. He put his paw over his chest, over his human heart. Somewhere, deep down, he was human. If he was truly human, why couldn't he get better?

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Tales of Cookie the Magic Dragon

Part 5

Interlude

By Marie Nomad

Greg Universe sat in his van strumming on his guitar it was midnight. He wasn't sure what to do. The tour was finished for now and everyone had been busy just trying to repair the damage done. He couldn't help but feel sick.

That girl Jackie was right to call him out on causing Steven's state. He just felt so stupid believing that just because Steven was smiling doesn't mean that he wasn't hurting inside. All the things that Steven had to deal with over the years and not once did Greg thought to get him some sort of therapy or even took him to a regular doctor.

Now, Steven just decided to live on an apple farm a couple of hours away as a little girl's pet. He wasn't sure if that was better for his son or not but the Smiths seemed like a good family. Jackie and Mark were pretty protective of Steven, that was for sure. It was what Steven wanted.

He heard a banging on the van's door. He opened it to see Pearl. For someone who doesn't need to sleep, she looked exhausted. "Hey. How are you doing?"

"Not too good. Just..." Pearl paused as she looked down. "I'm sorry, for failing Steven. I… I should've protected him better. Not let my issues involving Rose bother him. Tried to tell the truth of Rose sooner. I went through at least one thousand scenarios where Steven was better."

Greg let her in. "Hey, it's not your fault. I was supposed to support Steven's human half and you help him with the gem half."

"And his gem half mutated him." Pearl wiped her eyes. "I was reading human psychology books. Did you know that human brains don't fully develop until they are twenty five years old? I had been corrupting Steven since he came to live with us."

"I should have known that! I was a teenager too. I was the genius who decided not to take Steven to a doctor. I didn't even notice Steven stopping aging until Connie pointed it out to me." Greg stared out of the door. "I was giving Steven too much freedom. I didn't want him to have the childhood that I had. All stifling. Forced to cut my hair, follow the rules."

Pearl chuckled. "You and Rose have that much in common. You were both rebels."

"Yeah..." Greg sighed. "Too bad we can't go back in time and warn our past selves. But we need a time machine."

"We had a time traveling technology but the diamonds deemed it too dangerous." Pearl covered her mouth. "Oh… Steven alternate self traveled from the future and caused at least 28 Stevens to show up and they all died."

"What? Wait, that actually happened? I thought he made that up for the song!"

"No..." Pearl knelt down. "He must have been warped by that experience. Why didn't I talk to him? I could've helped him!"

"It's not like we knew what was going to happen." Greg excused. How much did Greg not notice? He knew that Steven had been through a lot. He should've seen the cracks in Steven's happy facade sooner. He should have stayed closer. But he thought Steven didn't need his help until it was too late.

"But I should." Garnet opened the door.

"Hey, Garnet, couldn't sleep?"

"I… I'm sorry." Garnet took off her visor to reveal her sad eyes. She wiped her eyes. Greg never saw Garnet so shaken, not even when she had lost all her memories. "I should have done something when I could see how bad it was becoming. I was focusing too much on what path I hoped Steven would take...instead of guiding him along the path he needed to take."

"I don't suppose you know if Steven will come back or if he should come back?"

"I… I can't. But, I should've protect his mind. I was just so focused on protecting his body, I didn't think about his emotions."

"It's okay, Garnet." Pearl said. "Not even you could see everything."

"But I was the leader of the Crystal Gems! Rose trusted me and I failed! Now, even now he's cured, I can't see if he will be back to normal or not."

"Maybe, we should just try to help him be Steven 3.0?" Amethyst popped her head in. "Hey."

"Here to join the pity party?" Greg asked as he stepped aside.

"Had plenty of those." Amethyst took a deep breath. "Look, I get it. We screwed up. We screwed up bad. But it's not like Steven died. He's just off on a farm somewhere being taken care of by a really nice family. Will Steven get back to normal? No clue. But, being exposed to all this gem stuff won't help him. We could defend the Earth without him. Heck, we defended Earth from him. If Steven wants to come back, we welcome him back If he wants to be an apple farmer, we support him where we are. But, we won't get anywhere if we just look at the past and try to change it. I tried with my hourglass. It doesn't work."

Greg and the gems just stared at her. "Wow, that's some speech." Greg admired.

"And you're right." Pearl straightened herself up. "Steven needs us to be there for him. Even if we can't be there physically."

"There is a possibility of us seeing Steven again. We need to prepare for when we can." Garnet added.

Greg remembered when he and the gems sat in the van while holding baby Steven vowing to join forces to raise Steven. "We will do this together."

To be Continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Tales of Cookie the Magic Dragon

Part Six

By Marie Nomad

It was another day, and Steven was sitting at the breakfast table as usual. "Well, I called Pearl and told her that she and the rest of your family can come over. As long as they call ahead of time. Your dad said that's going to drive over, so he'll be here in a couple of hours." Jackie announced as she piled Steven's plate.

"Great!" Bloom cheered. "We can join together and help you be human again."

Steven stared at the plate. He was happy that the ban was over, but he will have to deal with the Gems and his dad again. How will they act around him? It will be very awkward since he still couldn't speak, and even if he could, what could he talk about? They are feeling very guilty about what happened to him. He also didn't really want to tell his dad how he felt about him.

"Cookie?" Bloom asked. "You look sad. Don't you want to ta- oh."

"He couldn't speak with him." Jackie realized. "They didn't say anything about this Peridot's communicator being ready yet. I'll ask Pearl."

She dialed up Pearl's phone and put it on the speaker. "Hello? Pearl. You're on speaker. We know that Steven's dad, Greg, is coming over. But, we need a good way for Steve to talk with Greg. Is that communicator ready?"

"Unfortunately not. Peridot wanted to make it durable against Steven's aura. Let's see… oh, wait! What about having Steven take over someone."

Steven whined as he shook his head. No, he will not take over someone else. He had ruined Lars' life doing that and caused who knows what kind of damage to the watermelons Stevens.

"I don't think that he wants that." Bloom interpreted.

"Wait, he can body snatch others?" Jackie asked as Mark looked intrigued.

"He can astral project in his sleep into other people. He only did it a few times. If he has all his powers, he could do that."

"Is there a limit on his power?" Mark asked.

"No. He once traveled across light-years to Earth."

"Why don't you want to use your body taking power?" Bloom asked Steven as he closed his eyes and shook his head again. He didn't want to take over someone's body. Why couldn't Peridot just hurry up and get him a communicator?

Steven's eyes widened. He had been able to transmit his dreams to electronics. Maybe, he could convey his thoughts and communicate that way.

He went to the TV and pushed the power button.

"What is he doing?" Mark asked.

"Maybe, he's not hungry," Bloom answered.

Steven ignored them and focused on the TV. He had to make this work. The TV was filled with static, and it spoke. _I am Steven Universe._

"Wait! Did he just hijack the TV?!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Steven? Is that you?" Pearl asked. Jackie brought the phone closer to the TV.

_Pearl. Hello. Trying to speak without hurting anyone._ Steven thought out to them. _Hurt too many people. No. Don't think that. _Steven gasped as he stepped backward.

"Oh, Steven. Don't worry about us. We'll tell Greg. But, can you keep on doing it?" Pearl asked, clearly worried.

_I'll be fine; besides, I had suffered for your sake all the time. I died and died and died and suffer and hurt, and you didn't care." _Steven's eyes widened. _"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let that through. _Steven shook his head. This was safer for everyone else, but it's hard for him to keep specific thoughts to himself.

"St-steven...I'll go now." Pearl started to cry and hung up.

The three humans looked at Steven, who relaxed his hold on the TV. "We won't let anything hurt you, Cookie." Bloom comforted as she hugged him.

"You… you need that therapist." Jackie added as she put down her phone.

Steven didn't entirely agree, but if he wanted to be human, he might have to go to a therapist. _You're right. I need therapy if I want to be human again. I never feel human. Too much of a freak. I'm a freak. Not gem._ Steven stopped himself. _I have to work on controlling what goes out._

He walked over to the couch and lay on top of it. He was happy that he has a way of communicating, but it was hard to control. There was the option of taking over someone's body, but no. He would rather die than do that. How could he deal with his dad like this? If his dad knew what was in his head, he would feel sad.

Gradually, he fell asleep, and as he fell asleep, he could feel a blanket being draped over him.

XXX

The sounds of guitar floated through the air as Steven opened his eyes. He was about to reach out with his paw to try to turn off the radio when he realized that it was real. He jumped up to see Greg softly playing the guitar.

Greg's beard and hair looked more scuffed. There were bags under his eyes. Part of Steven felt guilty that he had caused this. Greg should be traveling with Sadie and her band and having fun. No, his father was stuck dealing with his monster of a son.

The guitar sounded soothing, though. Steven could remember back when he was a little boy, listening to his father play. His heart lightened at the music, and his tail tapped in rhythm. Greg paused, and he saw his son just watching. "Hey, Schu-ball!" He smiled at him. "You were sleeping, and I didn't want to disturb you."

Something about that felt wrong. Steven remembered the time that he had taken over Lars' body and was sleeping for the entire day, and no one bothered to check. He had to learn how to take care of himself while Greg gets guaranteed meatloaf on Thursday as a kid.

"You okay, son?" Greg asked.

Steven stopped and saw that he was feeling tense. He whimpered and looked around for Bloom and the others.

"Oh, your friends thought we should have some privacy. Don't worry, the girl Jackie is just outside if you need her. Bloom wanted to stay, but her siblings said no."

Steven found himself envious. Jackie and Mark didn't want Bloom to hear anything that could traumatize her. Why didn't he have people like that protecting him?

"Yeah, she's here in case you need help. So, Pearl said that you can speak through the TV now? Wow. That's impressive."

Steven wasn't sure if it was that impressive, but he did need to speak with his dad. Greg turned on the TV, and Steven focused. He had to make sure that evil thoughts don't leak through.

_Hi, Dad. Good of you to finally bother to see me._ Steven thought out. Greg's face fell, and Steven wanted to run away. _This is a bad idea._

Greg shook his head as he stepped forward and gently put his hand on his son's back. "No. No. We need to talk."

Greg's voice came out of the TV. _There's never any shame in bailing._

The older man's jaw dropped. "Wait. You think that I would bail on you? You're my son. I love you."

All of a sudden, images of Jasper being shattered, Steven wanting to shatter White Diamond appeared on the TV. More images of Steven wrecking the van, deleting Greg's picture on his phone, and finally, Rose Quartz screaming in pain and shrinking into a baby Steven. Greg's heart sunk. He knew that Steven had shattered Jasper and brought him back. But, did Steven really blame himself for Rose's death? "Son? You… you don't think that…"

Steven jumped up and bashed the door down. Why did he think those things? Why did he believe that this was a good idea? He was a monster no matter what Fiona and that doctor said. He shouldn't stay here.

He ran to a distant area of the orchard and curled up. He promptly raised several force fields. Why did he run away? Why did he bash down that door? Why did he show those horrible things to his father? No wonder he was stuck in the body of a monster, he indeed was a monster.

Tears ran down his face as he curled up tighter. He destroyed the door, there's no way that Jackie and Mark would let him stay now. As tears hit the ground, flowers bloom, and Steven glared at them. He couldn't even cry properly.

"Steven!" Mark yelled as he and Bloom walked up, and the tall man put his hand on the force field. "Are you okay? Jackie called and said, you bolted out."

"Can you talk using the phone?" Bloom held out her own phone.

Steven stared at the phone. He could try. _I'm sorry. I broke the door. I'm dangerous. I'm a monster. I'm a monster, and I don't deserve to live with you._ He apologized profusely.

"It's just a door. Greg agreed to pay for the door, and Jackie's fixing it right now. Come on back to the house." Mark explained calmly. He wasn't mad, but he was strangely stoic like Garnet. But, at least he acts like he cared.

"Please, Cookie. They're not mad at you." Bloom pleaded.

The force fields vanished, and Steven stood up, still feeling horrible about what he did. The little girl ran up and hugged him. She climbed onto his back as they walked back to the house.

Steven looked up to see Greg just sitting on the porch looking downcast as Jackie jury-rigged a door from plywood to protect the front. "Son!" Greg ran up and wrapped his arms around his neck. "I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you try to find him?" Bloom asked. "If I ran out, Jackie and Mark would look all over for me."

"I didn't know the area!"

Steven had enough. He used a small force field to remove Greg from him without affecting Bloom. _Leave! You don't care about me! You left me with a bunch of strangers. You trusted aliens to raise me, and you don't bother! Go! Enjoy your tour with Sadie! _

Steven waited until Jackie opened the temporary door and marched in.

"Steven! Please!" Greg pleaded. "Speak to me."

The dragon ignored him as he put Bloom down, and he watched Jackie closed the door.

To Be Continued….


	7. Chapter 7

Tales of Cookie the Magic Dragon

Part Seven

By Marie Nomad

Greg Universe was used to not knowing what to do. He had dealt with crazy gem stuff since he met Rose at the concert so many years ago. When Steven was born, Greg did all he could to take care of his son. He read all the books and struggled on his own. He wrote to his parents, but he never heard anything back. It turned out that they never even bothered to open the letters.

When Steven was born, he vowed never to let Steven suffer the way he did. The only problem was that now, Steven was lost and confused and felt that Greg never cared for him because he just runs away from the gem stuff. Greg thought about all the times he ran off to leave Steven alone.

"So, are you going to leave?" Mark asked as he crossed his arms sternly. The young man resembled his father, in that strange authoritarian way.

"Are you forcing me off?" Greg asked, feeling defeated. Why didn't he fight harder for his son? Why didn't Greg use Lion to get here instead of just driving? Why didn't he use the law and demand that the Smiths return Steven?

The redhead tilted his head and shrugged. "No."

"Look! I love Steven! I don't want to see him hurt! I know that I had been a bad father to him! I don't know what to do!"

"Be there for him! That's what my dad did when I got hurt!" Jackie said. "I don't know how! I don't know a thing about your relationship other than it's messed up. But, if you want to make things right, think about what he needs."

"All right. I know a gem who can fix that door in a hurry." Greg sighed. "Tell Steven that I'm not leaving until we talk."

"All right. You can stay, I think you should at least stay outside. I don't want you to barge in and make Steve make a hole in a wall to leave." Jackie advised.

"I'll be right here." Greg sat down on the ground.

XXX

Greg's butt got numb as he watched Bismuth fixed the door. "Thanks for fixing the door."

"Hey, it's all good. Part of the whole bismuth!" Bismuth smiled at her own joke. "By the way, any idea on how Steven is? I haven't seen him yet since he ran away."

"I… don't know." Greg just slumped down. "I thought I was a good father, but then he was at the hospital, and then I tried to show him my past and… I feel like I don't know my own son! I spent his entire life running away from gem stuff, and now he's convinced that I won't stay to help him."

"I get it." Bismuth sighed. "I felt the same way after Steven told me that Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond. I mean, wow. I'm sure Steven forgave you. After all, he forgave me for trying to shatter him."

Greg's face paled even more. "Wait! What?!"

"You didn't know?" Bismuth asked. "Everyone Steven met had tried to kill him at one time."

"No! I…" Greg took several deep breaths. How little did he know about Steven's life with the gems? How often did Steven nearly die? How much trauma did he endure alone? He remembered seeing Steven's x-ray, all those broken bones. "What else did I miss?" He started to cry.

"I'm sorry! Really!" Bismuth knelt in front of Greg. "I just thought he might have told you."

"He… I didn't tell me anything." Greg bowed his head down into his hands. "He… he never told me anything. Now, he never will."

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Greg sighed. He had spent enough time burying his head in the sand. "Can you tell me about the Gem War? I want to know all the stuff Steven and Rose went through."

XXX

Steven peeked out of the window to see Greg still sitting there. Why was his dad even here? Why didn't he run off? Steven had shown all those horrible things to his father. If Greg had any sense, he would drive back to Beach City and not come back.

"Hey, Steven? You here?" Bismuth asked as she walked through the living room.

The dragon-shaped hybrid looked at the gem. He nodded at her.

"I'm glad you're okay." Bismuth said as she awkwardly smiled. "Are you okay?"

Steven nodded a little too quickly. He didn't want her to worry needlessly about him. He wasn't sure if he should try to communicate using the TV again.

"Hey, I don't know if I ever apologized, but I'm sorry I ever tried to hurt you." Bismuth apologized. "I swear, I'd do anything for you. You know that, right?"

Steven let out a whimper. He had put that event behind him years ago, but why were his spikes itching to pop out? Why was he covering his gem with his paw? He shouldn't be scared around his friend.

Bismuth slumped down. "I understand. I really do. If you need anything, I'll make it for you. Okay?"

There was something strangely odd. Steven was happy that Bismuth actually apologized but the way that she acted, like he was fragile. He was a diamond, and he could defend himself if he needed to. Yet, Bismuth had been there for him at the roller rink. He nodded at her again.

"Also, your dad is worried sick about you. He really wanted to help you. I thought I should let you know."

Steven shoved down fear and walked up to his friend and put his head on Bismuth's shoulder. He owes it to her to try to show appreciation.

"Hey, thanks." Bismuth gently stroked his neck and let go.

XXX

Bloom had kept Steven busy by playing videos on the computer. Of course, he kept himself from playing anything on the electronics. The little girl had done so much for him, and he will not traumatize her with his thoughts.

"If you can play stuff on the TV, can you show all the cool places you've been?" Bloom asked.

He could, but he might accidentally show the time he watched multiple versions of himself die horrible deaths or the times he nearly died.

"It's better if he doesn't. Who knows what might peek through." Jackie said as she and Mark walked in. "It's getting dark out, and Greg's still out there."

Steven jumped up and ran to see his dad still sitting there. Greg looked tired and worn, but he just sat there. Steven didn't know whether to be stunned or horrified.

XXX

Greg was cold and hungry. It didn't matter to him, though. He had to prove to his son that he will not bail on him. Maybe, he could have just simply waited in the van but no. He wanted to make it clear, he will wait for Steven. He will not bail on him countless times before. All he wanted to be was for Steven to get better, and if he could, he could do whatever it takes.

The rain started to fell, and Greg curled up tighter in his blanket. He wanted to get warm, but it didn't matter, he is a father. He had to show Steven how much he loves him. "I should've brought an umbrella." He muttered as he shivered.

Suddenly, the rain stopped, and Greg felt something warm against him. He opened his eyes to see Steven hugging him with a massive shield over their heads. "Son." He whispered as he hugged back. "Thank you."

XXX

Greg drank the hot apple cider as he sat in the living room in a fresh set of clothes. "Thanks for the hot apple cider."

"You're welcome." Jackie glanced over at Mark, then Bloom, and then Steven. "Speaking using electronics seems like a bad idea."

Steven nodded and then just lay down dejected.

"Looks like Steven just has to use my body." Mark offered again as he knelt down in front of Steven. "I trust you."

Steven just looked at the guy. He wanted to accept the offer, but the idea of taking another body just felt wrong. Does this body-switching even with someone consenting to make him just as bad as White Diamond?

"I'll keep an eye on Mark's body. I'll make sure he stays safe." Jackie added, "If anything goes sideways, I'll stop you. I've beaten Mark plenty of times in wrangling matches."

Steven really didn't want to talk to his dad, but he had to move forward. Greg had seen his darkest moments and still stuck around. Finally, he sighed and nodded.

"Good." Mark sat down, and Steven closed his eyes. Steven found himself out of his body, still in his dragon form, but he felt floaty. He hasn't astrally projected in years. Finally, he flew into Mark's body and felt the young man just letting him in.

Steven felt his body jerked, and he gasped. "Hands," Steven muttered to himself as he stared down at his hands, arms, he was wearing clothes. He grasped upward to feel hair. It was smoother than his hair but he had hair. "Hair. I have hair." Steven's eyes watered as he looked up at the other humans. "I can talk."

"Cookie?" Bloom asked hesitantly.

"Hey, Bloom. Glad to finally be able to speak to you." Steven smiled as he picked her up. She was heavier than expected. "Thanks for everything. I don't know anyone who would be so nice to a monster like me."

"You… don't know… anyone?" Greg asking stunned.

"You're not a monster. You're cool." Bloom hugged him.

"Thanks." Steven lowered his friend back to the floor.

Jackie was holding up her smartphone. "Hey, Mark's eyes are looking weird."

Steven glanced at a mirror and stared at his reflection. It felt surreal to see someone else standing there. Steven looked at his eyes to see that other than Mark's green eyes, he saw glowing pink eyes. He didn't remember seeing that when he was in Lars' body or in the Watermelon Stevens. Maybe his power had evolved to the point that now he shows when he posses others. It dawned on him that it was like when White Diamond possessed others.

"Are you okay, son?"

"Do I look like I'm okay?!" Steven snapped as he gestured to the thing on the floor. "I… I..." He started to ran his hand through his hair and started pulling it.

"Hey, easy does it." Jackie grabbed his hands and gently pull it away from his hair. "Why don't we talk upstairs? Bloom, can you keep an eye on Steve's body? Make sure nothing happens to it?"

"I want to come with you."

Steven smiled at the little girl. He was thankful to have someone around to wanted to spend time with him, but he had issues that he didn't want to hurt the girl. "I know that you want to help, but I need you to make sure that my body doesn't do anything weird while I'm away. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah." Bloom hugged Steven.

The three adults walked upstairs to Steven's temporary room. Steven sat down on the bed, and Greg sat down beside him.

"So, how are the Smiths treating you?"

"Good," Steven answered. "Living in a house where I don't have to worry about getting killed. It feels nice." He shut his mouth and closed his eyes. Even as a human, he just can't keep it in.

"Oh." Greg put his arm around his son's borrowed body. "Hey, I'm here for you. I'm sorry, I wasn't there for you. You can tell me anything, anything you want."

Steven's eyes watered. "But… what if it's bad? What if it's something you don't want to hear?"

"You shouldn't hide anything from me. I love you, no matter what."

Steven clenched his borrowed fists. "I… I..." He didn't know if he should say it. "I don't like Mom!" He let out and just looked away. "She… she lied to you, to the Gems, she made Pearl keep a secret for thousands of years against her will, she abandoned her best friend, she… used me to die! I hate her! There! I'm sorry! I know you love Mom, but I hate her! I hate her for abandoning me with this curse! If you don't want to see me again, that's fine."

Then, he felt a warm hand around his shoulders. Steven looked up to see Greg just looking sadly at him. There was no anger, no rage, only sadness. "You have a right to your feelings, son. I love Rose. I always will, but if you hate her, then, I understand. You had to deal with so much with your life because of her, but don't ever think that I would hate you for not loving Rose. I love you, no matter what. She did a lot of bad things, but if there's one good thing that she had done, it's having you."

"But I'm a monster! I wrecked Beach City and Little Homeworld! I shattered Jasper and nearly shattered White Diamond for nearly killing me!"

"Wait, she nearly killed you?" Greg's face paled, and then he looked angry. "When? How?"

"In her Head Ship. I… lied. I said that we just talked but, she… she pulled out my gem to bring back Pink Diamond and… I was..." Steven started to sob. "I was two people! Connie saved me and brought me back to my Pink self."

Greg's face grew even paler. "Wait, you worked with her for two years after all that! Didn't the Gems know?"

Steven just shook his head. "Just Connie."

"Oh… Steven." Greg hugged him again. "I don't blame you for wanting to shatter White Diamond. I want to shatter her right now!"

"It's okay. It's no different than the other gems who tried to kill me. Even the Crystal Gems nearly killed me a few times."

"Wait. What?" Jackie asked, interrupting.

"Well, I was in a space pod, and they didn't know. Although Pearl did let me fall while I was chasing her because she was sad, and this was before I could fly. And Amethyst did smash me into a rock and- don't be mad at them. I'm a gem, I can take it." Steven pleaded at Greg, who was looking more upset.

"I… I trust them to take care of you! And you're half-human! Rose wanted you to be human."

"Then, why didn't you tell your family about me. Why didn't you tell me about them when I was younger? I didn't even know about Uncle Andy until he showed up! Aren't you ashamed of me?"

"Never! I… I tried to tell my parents. And well, I was getting distant from my family when I left college." Greg looked down. "I am never ashamed of you. I… I just didn't like them. I am never ashamed of you, son."

"Dad..." Steven sobbed as he hugged his father again. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Greg soothed.

"I… ugh." Steven jerked and went limp.

"Steven?" Greg pulled away and shook the body. "Son?"

"Ah… my head." Mark opened his green eyes. "Greg? Did it work?" He brought his hand to his face to feel it wet. "What happened?"

"Hey, Mark. You okay?" Jackie helped Mark to his feet.

"Yeah, felt a little weird, but I'm okay." Mark wiped his face.

"Those Crystal Gems tried to kill Steven."

"I thought they understand how vulnerable Steven is." Greg sighed.

"Jackie! Mark! It's Steven! He's glowing!"Bloom screamed from downstairs.

At once, the adults ran to the living room to see Steven glowing white. "Steven!" Greg yelled. His heart pounded. What was going on? Was Steven getting better? Was he getting worse?

Steven stopped glowing, and he opened his eyes. He felt different. His scales are now pink, but he lost his middle limbs and now had hands and feet. He was still a monster but now looking more like Kaijuzilla than a dragon. At least he was somewhat more human than he was yesterday. What caused this?

XXX

"I see. So, Steven shapeshifted after his heart to heart with his father." Dr. Forest said as he examined Steven at the farm. "Interesting."

"Yeah, I was going to speak to the gems, but I thought, maybe, we could use an outside human opinion first," Greg said. He stood to the side, watching the old man studying him carefully. "Thanks for coming over."

"This is my first home visit in years." Dr. Forest said. Steven whimpered in apology. "Hey, it's okay. Like these home visits anyway. Well, you clearly changed. More humanoid now. Can you talk?"

Steven shook his head.

"Ah, well, at least it should be easier for you to communicate since you can write." Dr. Forrest examined Steven's claws. "Oh, I found a therapist in town, explained to her that you are unique. Gem related. I didn't tell her anything else."

"That's great!" Greg smiled, and Steven just looked down. "What's wrong? Hey, I'm sure the therapist will help you out. And I'll be staying here."

Steven looked around, and Dr. Forrest handed him a pen and notebook. He wrote out, _"What about the car wash and you managing Sadie's band?"_

"I can get someone to manage the car wash while I'm gone, and I can do what I need remotely. Sadie and Shep will understand." Greg held him. "You need me now. If it's okay with you."

Steven's tail started wagging, and he hugged his father.

To Be Continued...


End file.
